On Day 2 of a three-day adventure on Padre Island National Seashore, angler Joe Jarolik landed a 9-foot, 2 1/2-inch bull shark.

The big bull, which was caught Friday, was the seventh shark landed by a four-man shark team of Aaron Martin, Zack Ralston, Jason Rodgers and Jarolik. The shark would have bested the Texas record for bull sharks by 2 1/2 inches, but the fisherman refused to kill it.

CLOSE

Joe Jarolik and three surf-fishing friends on Padre Island National Seashore caught eight sharks in three days. Joe's was a 9-foot, 2.5-inch bull shark that might have surpassed the state record if he had killed it.
David Sikes

The Texas record bull shark weighed 515 pounds, and was caught in Aransas Bay in 2007. To break the record, Jarolik would have had to have his fish weighed on a certified scale.

"We're never going to kill a shark just for a record," said Jarolik, 44, who lives and owns a moving business in Rogers near Temple. "When we hooked up, I knew it was a dang good shark, but we didn't know what species it was. It was a dark shark, so I thought maybe it was a big tiger."

Jarolik, who began shark fishing less than three years ago, and his friends camped just south of the 40-mile marker on the national seashore on Thursday. They used a kayak to paddled out baits beyond the breakers, about 350-400 yards from the beach.

In addition to the big bull, they caught five blacktip sharks, an 8-foot bull, and a 7 1/2-foot hammerhead, which was No. 8 for the trip, Jarolik said. They used cownose rays and jack crevalle for bait.

The shark was released after the fishermen snapped photos of it.(Photo: Contributed)

"We do not have a catch and release program for sharks to date," said Ron R. Smith, with the department. "But we are working to get one started in the future. We only accept weight records for sharks until then."